Thursday, September 21, 2006

Which is which?

The following passages are taken from the websites of two "leading" campaigning organisations, one calling itself Eurosceptic and the other strongly Europhile. Which is which?

Exhibit A

While we are committed to European co-operation … we believe that the EU must now embrace radical reform based on economic liberalisation, a looser and more flexible structure, and greater transparency and accountability if it is to overcome these challenges, and succeed in the twenty first century. The best way forward for the EU is an urgent programme of radical change driven by a consensus between member states. In pursuit of this consensus, we will seek to involve like-minded individuals, political parties and organisations across Europe in our thinking and activities, and disseminate our ideas widely across the EU and the rest of the world.

Exhibit B

We support the UK's membership of the EU and oppose withdrawal to the margins; we support positive and constructive engagement with the EU as the only sensible approach and as vital to our national interests. We support a vision of a prosperous free-market Europe able to compete in a globalised world. We support economic liberalisation and oppose excessive EU regulation, centralisation and red tape. We support institutional reform, further cooperation between EU member states where it is in Britain's interests and oppose old-fashioned federalism.